Path of the Sun: The First Grassland (A Dragon Adventures Story)

Chapter 6: Fluffy Raptors

      Nevaeh began to materialize in the other world. She could slightly make out all the different shapes. A town, a wall of dirt, a path.

     She was finally there.

     "Woah..." she whispered, looking around.

     There were barely any lights there, so she set her backpack on the ground and began to dig through it. She could've sworn she saw something move in the corner of her eye, but it was probably just a fox. She finally found her flashlight, and turned it on. Illuminating the path ahead, she walked forward, on high alert. She knew what Sauriums were capable of, but knowing this can't keep her from progressing.

     She kept walking, looking around. It was dark, but she could still make out the shapes of numerous bushes, small trees, and logs. The air was heavy, like it was going to rain. Even though this was all artificial air space, it still felt exactly like Earth. It was uncanny.

     Nevaeh reached a passage through two giant dirt walls. A waterfall rested inside the right one, it was loud, but it quickly faded into white noise. It was almost calm, but then she remembered what made her come here, and the calmness faded. She walked towards the waterfall, curiously. Nevaeh had never seen a real waterfall, so this was all new to her. She wondered how they work. She was never taught about waterfalls, due to it not being the kind of knowledge that would get her into anything famous.

     Nevaeh then realised she was staring at the waterfall, her flashlight lighting up the crystal clear water. To somebody that had seen a waterfall before, she would look crazy.

     She then heard a growl coming from behind her.

     Nevaeh froze, then slowly looked behind her, as to not startle whatever it was.

     She sighed with relief, it was only a fox.

     "Shoo!" she whisper-yelled, trying not to draw attention.

     The fox yipped at her, then ran off.

     Nevaeh sighed again. She didn't know if this trip was all worth it, she was finding nothing. To be fair, it probably was just construction. Despite this, she decided to keep going. If she didn't find something, oh well. At least she came.

     She realised her feet were getting sore, so even though she wanted to continue, she couldn't. She began to walk back. She looked around carefully, making sure she'd know how to get back. The waterfall blasted in her ears again, and was now giving her a headache, so she would love to get back sooner. She kept walking, looking more around her than in front, she panned her flashlight in front of her, then stopped dead in her tracks. Beyond the bushes, she saw a silhouette of a dragon. A Saurium.

     She knew she had to get out of there immediately. She began backing up slowly, putting her flashlight on the ground to not agitate the already agitated Saurium, it worked with the bears she encountered, maybe it worked with unnatural creatures too. She tried to suppress the thoughts of what happened to the guard, but they kept coming back. It became a chore to focus on what was happening now, and not then.

     Nevaeh's slow walk became a walk, became a jog, became a run. She turned around and ran as fast as she could. She didn't know if it was chasing her, and she didn't care. She had to get out. She ran into a small cave. The Sauriums were small, but just bigger than a human. She backed up to the back of the cave, and looked out of the hole. She saw the Fluffy Raptor's furry feet outside the entrance.

     The Saurium bent down and looked in through the hole. It's round pupil darted around, looking for movement. Nevaeh stayed as still as possible, but it was difficult, considering how much her life was on the line. She was shaking. The Saurium snarled and blew a bit of grass out its mouth. It was a grass element, not that that mattered, it would all hurt the same.

     The saurium looked like it had a primary of Plum, a secondary of Urchin, and a tertiary of Lilac. Who knew something so pretty would be capable of such horrors. She didn't know if it would be considered ironic or not, due to the fact she never really paid attention to grammar.

     She rested on the rocky soil in the dark. It was mildly uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable enough to be painful, but just enough to be a nuisance.

     Nevaeh decided she would try to wait it out.